Feb 6, 2010

A make-up & skin care book in aid of a cancer charity, giving step-by-step tips on how to look fabulous and feel confident while undergoing chemotherapy and other cancer treatments or while recovering from other serious illnesses. Includes homemade recipes for skin care and other fascinating beauty tips for women of all ages. Read how to make your own face packshereTwitter: @siobhanpatmul

MEDIA CONSULTANT -Farmers' Calendar - 2009

The brainchild of Ciara Ryan, one of Ireland's newest and brightest entrepreneurs. The calendar shows Irish farmers getting their kit off or 100% IRISH BEEF as she likes to call it. A proportion of profits (2010) to Bóthar and other Irish charities.

Clickhereto view the hunks in the latest calendar. Twitter: @siobhanpatmul

A quote from Richard Keeble's The Newspaper Handbook comes to mind: "Tabloids ...use over sensational, cliche-ridden copy...they cater to the less well-off, the less well-educated, those who don't bother to vote but who like to complain about the establishment, those who thrive on reading gossip, those whose attention span is limited; those whose main interest is soccer or sport, and finally, those who don't have the time or inclination to read a broadsheet on any given day." I guess Mr Keeble is entitled to his opinion! If celebrity gossip and premiership soccer are your thing, you can read the British version of the Daily StarhereTwitter: @siobhanpatmul

Question: How many subeditors does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
Answer: We can't tell whether you mean "insert a lightbulb" or "have sex inside a lightbulb. Can you reword it to remove ambiguity?"
Tony O'Reilly and son Gavin's strategy to "dumb down and celeb up" their range of newspapers in a quest to increase sales has worked in the case of the Sindo which is a curious but very popular mix of humour, gossip and top-notch opinion journalism. To read the Sunday Independent for free, click hereTwitter: @siobhanpatmul

Cecil Nash: A Life in the Roving Irish Theatre, (ISBN 0-9546896-1-5) 2005

Cecil Nash, travelling actor, wrote his autobiography aged in his late 80s. He put the 300 typed pages in a shoe box and these remained forgotten until several years after his death. Cecil's youngest son (and my best friend) Paul Nash, asked me if I could knock them into "something" and the above named book is the result. Read the first chapter of the bookhere."Cecil was one of the best comedy feeds in the business.. a wonderful old world artiste and a pleasure to work with."Fred O'Donovan, theatre producer/ director"A gentleman who loved the sound of adulation."Tony Kenny, Irish actor/ singer"Cecil was a charming fellow and a typical old thespian. He had several successful appearances on the Late Late Show."
Gay Byrne, retired RTE broadcaster, chairman RSA

Interviewed Limerick "luminaries" such as Vincent Browne, Willie O'Dea, members of the O'Malley political dynasty and other newsworthy Limerick folk including a nun working for women's equality in Afghanistan. My weekly media column analysed how "stab city" was being covered across the national media. Now rumoured to be in trouble because of the financial downturn ... here's hoping the Limerick Leader survives as it'sthe best provincial newspaper in Ireland.
Read my interview with Vincent Brownehere.
Read my interview with Willie O'Dea (just prior to his promotion) here.
Read Christmas in Afghanistanhere.
Read about Paula Radcliffe's Irish sport's guru here.
Read how Willie O'Dea lashes Sinn Feinhere.

A freelance stint writing historical features such as: Was Jack the Ripper Irish?; Lady Mary Heath, the Woman Who Fell to Earth, Ireland's Lost Tribe in the Caribbean and so on... See links to stories below.

WasJack the Ripper Irish?here.Boss Croker and the gangs of New Yorkhere.
And Lena Rice, Ireland's Forgotten Wimbledon Championhere.

BOOK CONTRIBUTOR - The Silver Lining - Summer 2003

A beautiful limited edition (1,000 copies) hardback book, The Silver Lining celebrates the achievements of Irish aviation and those who worked and flew at Kildonan Air Field. Published in Ireland by the Finglas Heritage Project and edited by John Haughton who conceived the idea for the book. It is dedicated to the memory of Ireland's first (woman) pilot and Olympic athlete, Lady Mary Heath. Read my contribution "Lady Mary Heath: The Woman Who Fell To Earth"here.

Up until 2002, Wolfhound's was the only Guide to Evening Classes and an annual bestseller in Ireland but (probably for that reason) it eventually found it had many imitators. Shortly after my summer research stint, Merlin Publishing bought Wolfhound Press whose owner gladly laughed all the way to the bank.
Twitter: @siopatmul

chapter-by-chapter: my book on Adolf Hitler

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Who am I?

I am a crime writer, historian and former college teacher. BA History & Politics, H. Dip Media & Law; MA Political Science; PhD Philosophy (sans viva voce). The author of several history books and one actor's autobiography, I am also a regular contributor to crime magazines, journals and websites. I live and work in Ireland.